RISING ESTRELLA
Kofa student competes in talent search program ‘Tengo Talento’
Kofa High School student Abigail Rojo will get to show off her singing ability to a nationwide audience in a televised talent search contest in Spanish.
Rojo, 16, was invited to compete in Estrella TV’s “Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento” (“I Have Talent, Much Talent”) on the strength of her performance in February in local auditions hosted by the Kia dealership in Yuma.
Earlier this month, she traveled to Estrella’s studios in Los Angeles, where she sang the popular ranchera song “La noche de mi mal” before a panel of judges, in the preliminary round of “Tengo Talento.”
Representatives of Estrella TV and “Tengo Talento” said broadcasts of taped performances of Rojo and the other contestants have yet to be scheduled, but could air sometime in the next several weeks on Estrella channels in Yuma and around the country.
In the meantime, Rojo is waiting to find out if she gets to go on to the next round of competition.
“I’m very excited, and I hope to advance to the next round. I am very thankful for all the support I have received, both from by friends and the community in general.”
The daughter of Somerton residents Martin Rojo and Celida Santiesteban, Rojo says she has enjoyed singing and dance since she was a child. Her musical talents prompted friends to suggest she compete, and she took up the challenge last summer at age 15, taking part in San Luis Cantando, a singing competition in San Luis Rio Colorado, Son.
That experience, she said, motivated her to compete in “Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento.”
The field of contestants for “Tengo Talento” is narrowed down in the initial rounds by the judges panel, with the program’s viewers deciding who in the end wins the grand prize of $100,000 plus the chance to launch a professional career.
Abigail, who likes Mexican music in a variety of genres and who plays accordion, says she would jump at the chance to pursue a singing career. But for now, the Kofa sophomore’s goal after high school is to pursue studies in forensic science.